In the game of basketball, the primary skill that determines the success of a team or individual is the art of proper shooting. Coaches have researched their teaching methods extensively in order to find the correct way to properly shoot a basketball. From amateurs to professionals, using a device that teaches proper biomechanical release of a basketball will result in higher success and excitement for the game of basketball.
Biomechanical movement is directly related to the success of the basketball shot. In order to shoot a basketball for a high percentage, a player needs to use the correct body joints, and muscles attached, together as one unit. Incorporating the least amount of body joints (and muscles) will result in increased muscle memory retention and less chance for biomechanical errors. Past prior art devices unfortunately disregard this important concept, resulting in performance issues regarding the kinetic chain principle of shooting movements.
The most important biomechanical aspect for proper shooting is a proper release at the wrist joint, and the elimination of finger flexion at finger joints. The ability to maintain an open hand at the release of a shot is vital to proper shooting. This will negate the use of the 26 bones (and muscles attached) of a person's hands and fingers during the basketball shot, resulting in a dependence on shooting through the shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints. Negating the finger joints for proper shooting will result in; an increase in muscle memory for shooting success; proper front to back hinging at the wrist joint, without side to side wrist hinging which causes improper ball rotation; improved ball rotation because of proper front to back hinging at wrist joint, and; increased strength or range of a player's basketball shot because of reliance on muscles of larger body joints (elbow, shoulder, and wrist).
Proper hand positioning is another important skill for the proper basketball shot. The ability to stabilize the basketball in hand from start to finish, as the wrist joint hinges forward will result in an increase in performance. The invention proposed includes a device that will allow proper finger separation in order for players to control the basketball from the start of their shot to the finish of their release.
U.S. Pub. No. US 2007/0270248 A1 on Nov. 22, 2007 by Robert French claims to provide maximum separation of shooting fingers as well as to keep the ball off the palm of the hand. However, this device has limitations. The foam material located between the shooter's fingers is unnatural, raising the basketball one inch off the hand, causing the ball to be located too high on the fingers. This results in loss of power since the ball is not located on the finger pads, but rather on the top two digits of the fingers only. Furthermore, removal of the foam device leaves an absence of material to create the affect proposed.
It has been well documented by prior art that the ball should not remain on the palm of the hand in order to create fingertip control. U.S. Pub. No. US 2007/0270248 A1 on Nov. 22, 2007 by Robert French uses a foam material to create this effect. Though very true, once again, it will unnaturally raise the ball too high for reasons mentioned above. Ultimately, this device keeps the ball off the palm of the hand but does not address proper wrist extension during the set-up of a shot. Therefore, keeping the ball off the palm of the hand does not guarantee proper mechanics and efficiency of wrist flexion during the shot release.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,237 issued to Strug on Nov. 10, 1998 provides a basketball-gripping device to prevent the basketball ball on the palm of a user's hand. This is achieved by a trapezoid cross-section that straps around the bottom of the hand. The surface of the device is contoured to correspond to the shape of the basketball. This device has limitations in that it does not assist the player in positioning the hand correctly on the ball (with fingers spread apart), but only provides a means of keeping the ball off the palm of the hand. Furthermore, the device does not provide a solution for preventing wrist flexion on the release of a shot.
Another very important critical element to the basketball shot is proper wrist extension on the initial set up for the shot. The increased wrist extension before the release of the shot will result in increased finger control and shot power because of the higher velocity created by wrist joint flexion. Because of years of throwing baseballs as youngsters before shooting a basketball, players tend to shoot with limited wrist bend. My proposed invention improves wrist extension because of the design. The location and firmness of the splint support material above the fingers prevents flexion at the base of the finger joints. If a player tries to shoot a basketball without maximizing wrist bend at that joint, the fingertips will not rest on the basketball. Therefore, a shooter must extend his or her wrist further in order to have his or her index fingers come in contact with the ball. Thus, the device results in perfect hand positioning on every repetition.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,149,085 on Sep. 22, 1992 by Sanchez claims to develop proper positioning and release of the basketball. A strap is connected between two bands (one on wrist and the other around the middle of hand). When the bands stretch to a tension point as the wrist rotates forward, it triggers a sensing mechanism. However, the device is limited, since it does not include any design system to monitor the proper position of wrist extension before the release of the shot, or prevent wrist flexion on the follow through.
A variety of prior art claim to improve a player's ball-handling by keeping the ball away from the palm of their hand for more finger tip control. Although very true, their devices fail to comply with a very effective biomechanical principle of dribbling. While dribbling, one should be able to dribble at high speeds, by repetitively flexing and extending at the wrist joint. However, incorporating the wrist action with the flexion and extension at the base of the finger joints, results in loss of speed and increases in injuries (finger jams). To increase your efficiency and speed of dribbling, a player needs to maintain finger extension through the entire movement. Because of the proposed design system, the glove does not allow finger flexion, while spreading the fingers out properly to allow maximum efficiency when dribbling a basketball.
In reviewing all that has been previously proposed, there appears to be a need for a significantly improved product, which more effectively positions the user in the most advantageous biomechanical position through the entire shot process. This will result in greater success for users, as well as teaching principles for coaches, trainers, and parents.